With roots in Al Merrick’s trusted and proven high-performance shortboard designs, the Channel Islands Fever surfboard can still handle more average conditions.
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Looking for Channel Islands Surfboards in Australia? Talk to the good people at Onboard Industries

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Summary

I have a love-hate relationship with Firewire Surfboards generally and the Sweet Potato specifically. Some models have gone well for me at some times and not at others. And there are some models that I just could not gel with, full stop. In fact, the love-hate I have for the Sweet Potato drove me to buy and trade not one but two Sweet Potatoes!

I picked up my first Sweet Potato in San Diego not long after it had been released. At that time, no one had created a shape with mass appeal so directionally targeted at tiny, weak waves (NB, I’m sure there were other shapers doing this already and, of course, there is the Mini Simmons and all of its offshoots. However, there was nothing on this scale and, again, aimed at the masses) and I was very keen to try a board that I could ride on days where the surf was so small that only a longboard would have sufficed.

My first trials on the Sweet Potato were at waist to shoulder high, onshore, dumpy Blacks Beach and I actually enjoyed most of my surfs although the outline, completely devoid of rocker, was difficult to stick into steep drops. When I brought my Sweet Potato back to Australia, I had one or two surfs on knee high, clean days that were nothing short of spectacular. Pop up, set line and the Sweet Potato takes off like a thoroughbred racehorse out of the gate. And, despite the wide, thick outline, when I was in the zone with my Sweet Potato, it felt surprisingly nimble. However, interspersed with these bouts of small wave glory, I had surfs in similar waves where I could not stick a takeoff for an entire session. GRRRRR! Sure, I could have just been having an off day or it could be that fact that I’m just not good but the bipolar nature of my experience led me to trade the Sweet Potato.Join thousands of other surfers who get the latest surfboard reviews, new model alerts & updates each week!

Eventually, other shapers brought out their own versions of the Sweet Potato and my next über groveler, the Pier Pony by JS Surfboards, consistently performed better for me. But my love for the Pier Pony in tiny surf was eclipsed by perhaps the best groveler I’ve ridden to date, the Cab Sav by Nick Blair.

UPDATE: since writing this originally, I’ve now picked up a Channel Islands Average Joe by Al Merrick. The jury’s out on whether this will unseat the Cab Sav to become my favourite groveler surfboard but man o man, the Joe is fast and fun to ride in small waves; a great evolution in groveller design. Here is the Sweet Potato, Pier Pony and Average Joe side by side:

Firewire Sweet Potato vs JS Pier Pony vs Channel Islands Average Joe

Have you ridden the Sweet Potato by Firewire Surfboards? What do you think?

My name is Benny and I have a surfboard problem.
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Possibly the funnest board I have every owned. Flat spot? What flat spot? With one pump this board devours and flies over insipid wave faces. The speed perfect for laying down some spray, putting it up on the foam or making you hoot like a grom as you race that inside drainer. Its your perfect summer groveller and will make surfing fun - like you remember it

I love my sweet potato it's I found steep drops have worked out surprisingly well. I often think I'm about to get a nose full but it pulls through. The duck diving took a while to get used to I push at shoulder height and shift my weight a decent amount. The one thing I dislike is how stiff the board feels to turn I feel like you have to put some serious effort to pull of the bottom turn I often find myself shooting too far down the line.im currently running as a quad and yet to try as a twin or thruster. This board is so much fun though, last night I rode a walled of beachy a good 40m into the beach which dropped down to about a weak ft going through a gutter by hanging 5 over the nose. Haha was so stoked

Something about BENNY

Hi, I’m Benny! Welcome to Compare Surfboards and welcome to the family!

Like many of you, I'm a regular, everyday surfer but I LOVE IT! Struggling to find real, experienced based info. about surfboards and surf products, I started Compare Surfboards to help cut through the marketing hype and pro-surfer-wannabe-aspiration that leads many of us to buy and ride the wrong equipment. We ride them, we review them, we help you understand how they will actually work for you in the water. And, we want your voice in the conversation.

Join us on our journey of riding and reporting on the best boards we can find from the best shapers (both big name and underground) on the planet.